Discussion Board

Hello I am new here, but not new to the vegetarian lifestyle. Yes I am a veggie freak!!! But was unconscious of my FAT consumption. Can anyone tell me what percentage of fat I should be trying for in this diet?
Thank you!!!
Aprylle

Welcome aboard, Aprylle! If you follow the guidelines here--and that means eating lots of starches and veggies and not very much of anything else--you will get around 10% of your Kc from fats--possibly considerably less if you follow the MWL and choose veggies and starches that are very low in fat. For example, sweet potatoes are much lower in fat than oatmeal.

You do not have to "try for it"! You will be eating a low fat diet simply by following the advice here.

See

http://www.drmcdougall.com/free.html

Thank you so much for the reply!
Sorry to bother you again...
I am trying to follow Dr. McDougall's free program. After tracking what I eat, I see I am getting about 20% of my calories from fat. The extra fat is coming from coconut milk & soy milk I use on hot cereal, and soy milk creamer I use in my tea. Wow, it really adds up.
I don't think I need to lose any more weight (my BMI is 18.9.) Also I run obsessively. But I'm doing this because I want to LIVE. I'm going for maximum longevity. And for vanity reasons, I want to look good! So should I ditch the fatty milks even if I'm not trying to lose weight?
Or am I being obsessive?
Thanks again for your time!!!
Aprylle

How much do you run, Aprylle? How much total time do you spend running and doing any other vigorous exercises?

I run six miles a day but do take a day off here and there for recovery. My goal is to run a marathon so I want to increase this.

Aprylle, are you doing this for health and longevity or for some other reason/s?

I'm doing this for health and longevity and, you are correct, other reasons. After going through a two year divorce (and a few other things) I had gotten below a healthy weight for me from emotional stress. Friends expressed concern... So I decided to fight back. With diet and exercise. So I'm taking it out on the track, and looking for maximum nutrition for the calories. So I eat fruits and veggies now instead of nothing
Oh, so I guess I shouldn't worry about the fat in the soy milk...?
Gotcha

Aprylle, I understand your wanting to make bold statements about living after your divorce etc. I suggest that you continue to study health, exercise and nutrition. The Free Program site is one of many great resources here. I think you may eventually decide that exercising less and ingesting less fat would be better.

Please keep us posted on your journey and take care of yourself!